LAS VEGAS (KLAS)– Nevada State Police seized 56 pounds of suspected fentanyl after a traffic stop near Ely, Nevada, police said.
On Monday, Sept. 5, around 8:58 a.m., Nevada State Police conducted a traffic stop on the U.S-93 in White Pine County for an equipment violation. The stop happened about 20 miles north of Ely, Nevada.
According to police, the vehicle was traveling north on US-93 when a Nevada State Trooper stopped the vehicle. When the trooper approached the car they saw signs of possible criminal activity and asked to search the vehicle which the driver consented to.
A game warden with the Nevada Department of Wildlife arrived on the scene to help the trooper with the search.
During the search, about 56 pounds of suspected fentanyl were found with an estimated street value of $3.6 million, according to police.
The driver was arrested and is facing numerous drug-related offenses, police said.
This is currently an ongoing investigation and no further information is available at this time.
Drug cartels are manufacturing Illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50-to-100 times more potent than morphine, and combining it with other drugs. Just a few grains are deadly.